This is a painting I made some time ago. I've seen the diamond in person a few times before, and I think the painted image is close to the gem's actual size--at least on canvas.

The diamond is believed to have originated in India, before it was purchased by French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. In 1668, the merchant sold the Tavernier Blue--as the diamond was known at the time--to Louis XIV of France alongside more than 1200 other diamonds; it was this sale that replaced pearls as the most fashionable and sought-after gemstone. The large blue diamond was recut into a slightly smaller gem known as the French Blue, which was stolen during the French Revolution and disappeared. Tests with models in 2005 confirmed that the diamond was recut around the turn of the century into its current shape, which was named after the London banker who owned it: Henry Philip Hope. The diamond eventually left the family, and later made its way to private American hands through Pierre Cartier, before jeweler Harry Winston donated it to the Smithsonian in 1958.

In the absence of its previous incarnations and any contenders, the Hope is the largest deep blue diamond in the world--and deep blue is a rare color of diamond. When placed under ultraviolet light that is then turned off, the diamond glows a rich red color that lasts for up to a minute.

Perhaps the most famous aspect of the diamond is its famous curse. In India, blue diamonds are associated with ill omens and misfortune, something that has plagued several who have owned the diamond at one point. But recent studies have proven that the curse was merely invented by Cartier--the curse was simply a collection of tall tales used as a marketing scheme to entice his buyer. As for the Smithsonian, the diamond is the crown jewel of what is known as the National Gem Collection--our "crown jewels"--and has no doubt brought the Smithsonian nothing but good luck and further studies on diamonds.

It was hard to paint the diamond, but I think it's close enough.